Is this good blade steel?

[Balis Edge]

Is high carbon 1056 steel (2" wide, 1/4" thick) good steel for making a balisong blade? What type of steel should be used for the handles?

 

[Disco Stu]

1056? If it follows the same formula as the rest of the 10 series steels then it should be pretty good. It outta yield a tough blade. Tempered right, it would be very resistant to breakage and chipping. Good things for a balisong blade.

 

[Matt Shade]

It sounds like it should work. 1/4" thick seems like it would be too thick for a blade that size though. I use 1/8" for folding knives. It seems a lot thicker than it sounds once you have it.
If your going to use that for the handles too then it's probably a good compromise, you'll have more material there to shape. It'll just mean a little extra grinding/filing on the blade.